Dad who felt ‘like a monster’ at 24 stone with people staring credits football programme for ‘life-changing’ weight loss

A father who felt “like a monster” when he weighed more than 24 stone as people would stare at him has credited a weight loss football programme for his “life-changing” transformation.

Chris Martin, 39, who lives in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, with his partner, Kayleigh Durrant, 34, and their one-year-old son, Arlo, weighed 24st 4lbs (154kg) and wore a size 5XL at his heaviest after not exercising consistently and “eating (himself) to death”.

Chris, who is 5ft 10in tall and has two other children from a previous relationship, said his weight impacted his confidence and ability to take part in activities, as he could not run in the parent race at sports day and avoided theme park rides for fears of “breaking the weight limit”.

Feeling the need to make a change to “live as long as (he) can” for his young son, Chris stumbled across an advert for Man v Fat Football on Facebook, where the sport is combined with weight loss goals for men, and he felt compelled to sign up.

Despite the “dread” he felt in the run up to his first session in June 2024, Chris has not looked back and has since lost 7st 10lbs (48.9kg), now weighing 16st 8lbs (105.2kg), and he wears a size XL or even a large in some shops, crediting the programme for “changing (his) life completely”.

“I always thought I was like a monster, I didn’t like the way I looked and whenever I walked around, I noticed people looking at me,” Chris, who is taking some time off from his work as a carer in the community, told PA Real Life.

“They were just looking at the shell of who I was and the shell was just a huge, huge man.

“Man v Fat Football has changed my life completely, from not being mobile and eating myself to death, to now being conscious of what I’m eating and having more confidence.”

At his heaviest in June 2024, Chris said he weighed 24st 4lbs and his clothing size was 5XL.

“I’ve always been a big guy and throughout the last 10 years, I’ve been gaining more and more weight,” he said.

“I’ve been well over 20 stone for a good number of years.”

Chris said “not eating right” and not exercising consistently led him to gain weight.

“I was having one meal a day and snacking throughout, but that one meal would be a takeaway,” he said.

“I wasn’t thinking about calories, I’d eat a packet of biscuits when I was working as a carer in the community and I didn’t have time to sit down and eat properly.”

Chris said his weight impacted his mental health and he struggled looking in the mirror or at photos of himself.

“It wasn’t nice going out, thinking that I was a monster and people were looking at me,” he said.

“It’s very hard when you’re a man of my size as you can’t go into shops and buy clothes – everything had to be online specialist shops which was very demoralising.”

Chris added that his size and lack of confidence prevented him from doing many activities.

“I used to watch other parents do the races at sports days and think, ‘Next year I’ll be able to do that’, but I never did,” he said.

“Going on rides, I was a huge gentleman and I couldn’t go on these things for fear of breaking the weight limit.

“Going into the cinema or going to watch football in a stadium, I always felt squashed and was not able to enjoy myself.”

As Chris started to reflect on his age and the prospect of nearing 40, he knew he had to take charge of his weight and his lifestyle.

“If I continued the way I had been going… I would have a better chance of life and living if I had a better outlook,” he said.

“With Arlo coming into his second year, I want to live as long as I can for him.”

Scrolling through Facebook one day, Chris came across an advert for Man v Fat Football, a programme which combines the sport with weight loss goals for men.

The players are weighed at each session before playing six-a-side matches, where the weight loss scores and the results of the game contribute to a team’s position in a club’s overall league table.

Winning teams and players are celebrated at the end of the season and those taking part also receive healthy meal recipe ideas and tips on general fitness.

A lifelong Ipswich Town supporter and a lover of the sport, Chris felt compelled to register to the Cambridge team in May 2024 – but he felt the biggest hurdle was the journey to arriving at his first match.

“I signed up but the self-doubt started creeping in. I was thinking I’m too big and I wouldn’t be able to do it,” he said.

“Even buying all the equipment, like the football boots, I just felt silly.”

Chris pushed himself out of his comfort zone and attended his first Man v Fat Football match on June 4 2024 – and he has been a part of the programme ever since, playing every Monday.

“I was so out of breath during my first game but, over time, it got easier and I was losing weight each week,” he said.

Over the last year, Chris has lost 7st 10lbs and now weighs 16st 8lbs from a combination of playing football every week and eating three healthy meals a day.

“Before, I never ate vegetables but now I’m trying new things – we eat lots of dishes with vegetables and lots of curries,” he said.

His clothing size has also dropped to XL, and he can sometimes wear a large depending on the brand.

Chris, who is now the captain of his Man v Fat Football team, said he “can’t speak highly enough” of the programme for “changing (his) life completely”.

“It’s definitely improved my confidence,” he said.

“I can go into shops to look at clothes now rather than feeling out of place, and I can walk around and not be noticed.

“To do things with my children and be present with them, it means the world to me and it feels like I can be a father again.

“I’m proud of actually doing it and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved.”

To find out more, visit: manvfat.com/football